Supreme Court's Obamacare Ruling Clears the Air in California

6.25.15

Sheldon Blumling was quoted in The Orange County Register on June 25, 2015. The article “Supreme Court's Obamacare Ruling Clears the Air in California” discussed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Thursday to uphold federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. As a result, California can intensify its focus on increasing enrollment, improving health outcomes and addressing concerns about costs.

Some businesses hoped the challenge to the law could somehow bring a reprieve, said Sheldon. Companies with 51 to 99 employees have until January 2016 to provide insurance for full-time employees or pay a penalty. Sheldon said the court’s ruling means companies should not delay preparing to comply.

“We’re now at a point where I think any employer that is waiting to get on the ball, now is the time,” he said. “There’s nothing on the immediate horizon that is going to make this law go away.

Sheldon said that while Covered California has largely focused efforts on individual enrollment, he expects the state exchange to place more emphasis on the marketplace for small businesses, known as Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP).

The SHOP exchange “has been in a lot of respects, an afterthought,” he said. “The key is going to be improving those online tools for employers.

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